I never really was into G.I.Joe comic (just own a 3 or four issues) - simply I never had the whole story. I preferred to make my own stories playing with the toys

But as long as the figures go, I think that they "jumped the shark" around Armour Tech series (they really COULD be better delivered...) and real downhill is for me the newest series - beginning from the year 2000. Characters are overmade - arms like a bear and hips thinner than Twiggy... (the Spy Troops flint waistpiece is smaller than classic Joe) and somehow I don't like the concept. Apart from a few GOOD ideas and remakes - old figures with remolded heads - they look well

And - one thing that come to my mind right now. G.I.Joe always reacted quicky to the newest trends and fashions. TMNT? Here you go with Ninja Force and similar. Star Wars Remastered? Launch Star Brigade (it's a simplification, but still...). So I would say, that taking whole G.I.Joe series under scrutiny, you'll have a full view of what themes were in fashon - I think there's no other series like that

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My weekly TOP5:


The sacrifice of innocence the hailing of the gun
My way was death and madness, now let the Tower come

Let us not forget DEF = Cops, Eco Warriors = Capt Planet, Mega Marines = Aliens and the Set I'm dying to get even though I HATE the concept Dino Hunters = Jurassic Park.( I just want a Blond Lowlight figure) LOL!

Yep All the shows that I saw at least once in my life

Though Dino Hunters concept could be interesting you know? Mostly because it might have brought up some nice figures - DH Ambush i quite well, and Gnawgahyde even asks to be in this subset! (Resembles Talbot from some JP part )

I only wonder what would they do with "Denver the last dinossaur"

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My weekly TOP5:


The sacrifice of innocence the hailing of the gun
My way was death and madness, now let the Tower come

Capt Grid Iron, DEF, Ninja FORCE.

I would say the comic jumped when it became G.I. JOE starring SNAKE EYES

The toys jumped in the neon ninjafied '90s.

The toon jumped with the wretched Cobra-La movie. (Shudder)

So how many people are looking for a 25th Anniversary Golobulus with a fully articulating tail? I own that movie on VHS, but I must agree, the whole concept is slightly disturbing.

If they made a bunch more figures like Falcon v1, we would buy them. But the marginal difference in overall sales on the quarterly sales spreadsheet at big H would not vary enough to merit changes to production procedures. We (GI Joe purchasers) are but a wee part of their overall sales market.

When a new batch of figures would come out in the 80's, I would grab the best looking figure on the peg, and then decide in about 5 minutes how many of the rest of that release were worth my $3.25 by looking at the thumbnails on the back of the card.

Hasbro probably could have predicted sales decreases when people like me stopped buying the "whole wave" of their offerings. But since they made more money on other offerings, I don't know that it would have mattered.

It is amazing that despite jumping the shark, they have been able to revive the 3.75" franchise for a few years now for die-hards and retro/nostalgia buyers.

Alas, all good things eventually come to an end.

Frank, the Dino Hunters set is not too bad (once you chuck the moronic dinosaur). The figures are okay, and a quick respray renders the Desert Fox useful too.

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"The future's uncertain and the end is always near." - The Doors "Roadhouse Blues".

I have the desert fox from the set, complete (snagged it for $4.00 in ebay, only missing the hooks, which I got in another lot I purchased!) I LOVE the figures even though I'm no big fan of Ambush. They have them on Ebay right now for $59.99. I should say to hell with it and pay the outrageous price and be done with it! Not like I haven't spent way too much on figures before!

You know, I'd probably have liked the set if they had used the TRex from the JP Molds!

The toys jumped the shark when Roadblock stopped being sold with machine guns in his packaging (Battle Corps post-recall, Star Brigade).

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RIP Minouche, 1994-2009.